http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2572131 Thought some might find this of interest, especially since he used to play for Houston.
Exactly. Why is an off-duty cop giving chase to somebody in the first place? It also sounds to me like the cop had little right to shoot. The cop should be fired.
Okay..... so you see this 6'4" 265 pound guy walking towards you while the girl the he is with is DRIVING a car AT you in spite of the fact that you've warned them several times that you are a police officer and that you do have a gun. Not only that but you fire several shots (at the sky and at some bushes) to show that it is NOT a BB gun, contrary to what the guy says. What do you do? And if you want a link... http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/03/nfl.shooting/index.html
Yeah, I tend to overreact when I first read things. On second thought, I have no idea of the exact events, but it blows my mind as to why the cop was chasing him when off-duty in the first place. Just because you're a cop doesn't give you the right to pull someone over at any time (i.e. when you're off-duty), much less get yourself involved in a situation where you have to shoot somebody. He should face some heed for his actions, but probably not be fired.
Quite possibly. None of us really know ALL the details, but the guy from the sheriff's department's account makes the incident sound like self-defense by the off-duty cop. Meanwhile, ESPN's account makes it sound like Foley was just wrongly shot outside of his home by leaving out important details like how Foley was being a freaking bonehead for arguably scaring the crap out of someone with a deadly weapon.
Fight or flight response. Do you... 1) run away, even though he's probably going to catch up to you (one would hope that a linebacker, especially one that played for the Texans, is more than capable of chasing you down...) 2) fight him with your bare hands? Besides.. considering how much it's been emphasized that the wounds are not life threatening, it sounds like Foley got shot in the arms and legs. I would hope that the officer was aiming for those places as defense. If not... that's gotta be some crappy aim and a lot of luck.
If he's walking towards you despite repeated warning, then he puts his hand on his waisband (potentially reaching for a gun) then you fire your weapon. I don't find any fault with the officer.
First, we don't know the true story of what went on in the shooting. For all we know, the cops side of the story could be complete bull crap. Being off duty, he could have easily just reported him and have a ON duty cop deal with him. I'm not sure what the law is about off duty officers, but I believe he becomes like you and me once they're off duty. So, did he even have the right to follow him around, let alone shoot at him? This is why I hate how some cops act. They have a somewhat power position and that ability allows them to get away with corruption. All he has to do is just claim he felt endangered and he gets rights to kill anyone. I mean, who are people going to believe? A cop that is suppose to be fighting crime, or a 275 pound black man? Also, wasn't Foley just acquitted of getting into a scuffle with some officers? Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if this was some type of retaliation to that. Wake up people, it's 2006. Not all cops are your everyday crime fighters anymore. They're just as corrupted and even more than your local criminal. Difference is, they wear a badge and that gives them more leeway than your average criminal. This isn't the first incident like this that's happened, and it won't be the last.
Considering this snippet from the article it sounds to me like the off duty cop DID alert the police. I doubt he was planning on pulling them over and taking him to jail in his own car.
I was pulled over by an off duty cop about a year and a half ago. I did something stupid like passed a guy using the turning lane, and he was directly behind me in an unmarked truck. Luckily I convinced my girlfriends to cry their asses off, and I got a smaller fine than I should have. Anyway, I talked to a lawyer if I really should have stopped in the first place (my dad said he would have called the police first before stopping, but I had some alcohol in the car and wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. Oh FYI I was sober as a judge, just a little underage.). The lawyer said that an off duty police officer has just as much power as one that is on duty. The only true difference is that they can't really give you a ticket, but they can detain you until a officer on duty rolls around. If I had just kept going and used a defense of, "I was afraid that he was someone pretending to be a cop," I would have definitly had gone to jail. Lame.
cops are never "off-duty". it doesn't make sense for them to be. they are there to protect and serve and do you really want them to not do their job just b/c they're not getting paid?
I'd like for them to do the job they get paid for, and not abuse those powers....but that's a debate for another time.
Dang RR, your posts are cracking me up recently. Keep it up. But there are good cops too. My father in law was one. (he broke up the Ainge-Sampson fight at the summit during the 86 finals.) He worked vice too and he was a Dawg bounty hunter kind of guy that really cared for a lot of the people he was dealing with. I have been arrested many times. You have to become a complete pacifist when dealing with the police. If you have a case, the court will decide that. Cops appreciate it, and will give you the benefit of the doubt and some respect if you respect their position, even when guilty. It's a tough job. I used to have a chip on a shoulder about the police when I was younger. I was harassed some then but I did bring some of it on myself. The best thing to do is stay clean and be honest. Whats the difference between off-duty and undercover? A cop is a cop.
